PERICLEAN FACULTY LEADERS PRESENT AT THE 2022 ACC&U ANNUAL MEETING IN Washington, D.C.

We are delighted to announce that on January 20, 2022, Project Pericles will our work at The American Association of Colleges & Universities (ACC&U) Annual Meeting held in Washington, D.C. Our session, "Connecting Classrooms to Communities: Empowering Students to Address Grand Challenges" will highlight the work of our Periclean Faculty Leaders (PFLs). PFLs develop and teach innovative courses incorporating a community-initiated project.  

​The session will feature two PFLs in the Humanities (funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation) and two PFLs in STEM and Social Sciences (funded by The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations). The PFL Program is also supported by The Eugene M. Lang Foundation.  ​

The panelists: 

• Jan Liss, Executive Director, Project Pericles, will moderate the panel. 
• Lori Banks, Assistant Professor of Biology, Bates College, will discuss her course, “Cellular Biochemistry”  
• Rachel Simon, English and Women’s and Gender Studies, Pace University, will discuss her course, “Sexuality & Society.”  
• Jordan Smith, Assistant Professor of History, Widener University, will discuss his course, “History and Memory in Chester.”  
• Catherine van de Ruit, Assistant Professor, Health and Exercise Physiology, Ursinus College, will discuss her course, “Community Health.”  

Students apply course content to address real-world concerns raised by community partners, and campuses develop mutually beneficial collaborations. PFLs will discuss their strategies to help solve grand challenges our nation faces.  

​This year’s panel explores: linking nutritional deficiencies to limited access to healthy food; collaborating virtually with an LGBTQ+ center; creating public-facing exhibits showcasing how citizens challenged local racial injustices; and how community organizations challenged health disparities and social marginalization. The goal of this panel is to enhance the understanding of civic engagement as a form of “high engagement learning” connecting curriculum with real-world civic responsibilities. 

AAC&U is the leading national association dedicated to advancing the vitality and public standing of liberal education by making quality and equity the foundations for excellence in undergraduate education in service to democracy. Project Pericles has been presenting at the ACC&U Annual meeting for the past 16 years. ​